The phrase has been bandied about in recent years, but it seems to mean different things to different people. When I was a child, it meant that I was a citizen of the United States of America, a country that was governed by a Constitution which promised life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness to its inhabitants.
I think it was taken for granted that we were living the 'American Dream' even when the country endured difficult times like the first world war, the great depression, and WWII. We retained that belief, and counted ourselves lucky to live in the USA.
During the dust bowl and depression the country experienced such extreme poverty that welfare of the populace became paramount. Social programs were instituted to alleviate the suffering and growing dissension. Social Security, (referred to as an entitlement program), thought of as a helping hand when first inaugurated, has become a life line for millions today and is regarded as a main ingredient of the 'American Dream'.
Although new 'entitlement' programs added ingredients to the dream, the idea of life, liberty and pursuit of happiness no longer seems to be enough. Being a citizen doesn't seem to be enough either. The current meaning of the American Dream seems to be the goal of achieving wealth and gain of personal privilege, even at the expense of others. We seem to have lost something in the national psyche.
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| Statue of Liberty |
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